by Eric Hsu
This is a weird novel. In the novel by Patrick Süskind kind, a young boy, recounts his childhood. He liked to climb trees and fell in love with a girl in his class. He learned how to play piano and how to ride a bike. Except for Mr. Summer, this would have been an ordinary childhood. All the people in the village knew Mr. Summer, who always ran from village to village with his empty backpack and his long, odd walking-stick. But no one knew why this mysterious man did so. Gradually, people forgot his existence. When some day Mr. Summer disappeared, others did not notice it at all. Only the young boy knew where Mr. Summer had gone. But he kept it secret. In this story, the daily life of the young boy is contrasted with the peculiar behavior of Mr. Summer. And the narration combines the comic and the tragic. At first, the story is amusing and cheerful. Yet, in the end, the atmosphere becomes increasingly sad and melancholy. Thus, the novel in all seems strange and unusual, and even a little weird. Some people will like it and others won’t. But it’s just a novel. What counts is only that it can bring pleasure to its readers. It is not so important whether all readers have the same judgment. This book has been translated into Chinese. Yet if your German is good, it is worthwhile reading the book in German. It can even improve your German. Besides, there are also very beautiful and imaginative illustrations, which you can appreciate with relish. Book Information~ Patrick Süskind, Die Geschichte von Herrn Sommer, Zürich: Diogenes, 1991 a
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May 2024
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